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Pip’s Song
Your difference can be your gift.
Pip the frog can’t sing like the birds — he can only croak, and he’s not happy about it. But one dark night, a lost baby duck needs exactly the kind of voice Pip has.
This is a short story about a little frog named Pip. He lives by a pond and wants to sing like the birds. Before you listen, three words to know:
Listen to the whole story once. Then tap the Questions button on the player and choose the best answer — you’ll see right away if it’s correct.
Pip is a little frog. He lives by a pond. The pond is green and cool.
Every morning, the birds sing. Their songs are beautiful. Pip listens. He wants to sing too.
Pip opens his mouth. “Tweet!” he tries. But the sound is not beautiful. “Croak!” he says. “Croak, croak!”
Pip is sad. “I cannot sing,” he says. “I can only croak.”
A blue bird sits near him. “Your croak is loud,” she says. “That’s good!” But Pip is not happy.
That night, the pond is very dark. The birds sleep in the trees. The stars are small but bright.
Pip hears a soft cry. A little duck sits in the grass. She is lostlost · not able to find your way; not knowing where you are.. “I can’t findfind · to discover where someone or something is. my mom,” she says. “It’s too dark. I can’t see the way.”
Pip thinks. The mama duck can’t see him. But she can hear him!
Pip takes a big breathtake a big breath · fill your lungs with air, often before something hard.. “Croak! Croak! Croak!” His song is loud. It fills the night.
Far away, the duck’s mom hears it. She follows the loud croak until she comes to the grass.
“My baby!” she says. The little duck runs to her mom. They are together again.
The little duck smiles at Pip. “Thank you,” she says. “Your croak is the best song. It brought my mom to me.”
Pip feels warm and proudproud · happy because you did something good.. The birds have sweet songs. But Pip has a loud, strong croak.
In the morning, the birds sing again. Pip sits on his lily pad. He opens his mouth. “Croak! Croak!” he sings happily.
His song is not beautiful, but it is loud, and it is his own. And that’s good.
Listen again and read along with the transcript. Then tap the Questions button on the player and answer each one.
Pip is a little frog. He lives by a pond. The pond is green and cool.
Every morning, the birds sing. Their songs are beautiful. Pip listens. He wants to sing too.
Pip opens his mouth. “Tweet!” he tries. But the sound is not beautiful. “Croak!” he says. “Croak, croak!”
Pip is sad. “I cannot sing,” he says. “I can only croak.”
A blue bird sits near him. “Your croak is loud,” she says. “That’s good!” But Pip is not happy.
That night, the pond is very dark. The birds sleep in the trees. The stars are small but bright.
Pip hears a soft cry. A little duck sits in the grass. She is lostlost · not able to find your way; not knowing where you are.. “I can’t findfind · to discover where someone or something is. my mom,” she says. “It’s too dark. I can’t see the way.”
Pip thinks. The mama duck can’t see him. But she can hear him!
Pip takes a big breathtake a big breath · fill your lungs with air, often before something hard.. “Croak! Croak! Croak!” His song is loud. It fills the night.
Far away, the duck’s mom hears it. She follows the loud croak until she comes to the grass.
“My baby!” she says. The little duck runs to her mom. They are together again.
The little duck smiles at Pip. “Thank you,” she says. “Your croak is the best song. It brought my mom to me.”
Pip feels warm and proudproud · happy because you did something good.. The birds have sweet songs. But Pip has a loud, strong croak.
In the morning, the birds sing again. Pip sits on his lily pad. He opens his mouth. “Croak! Croak!” he sings happily.
His song is not beautiful, but it is loud, and it is his own. And that’s good.
Now look at four key words from the story. Look at each picture, read the line where the word appears, and say the word out loud.
| Picture | Word | Line from the story | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| lost (adj) | “She is lost.” | Not able to find your way. | |
| to find (v) | “I can’t find my mom.” | To discover where someone or something is. | |
| take a big breath (phrase) | “Pip takes a big breath.” | Fill your lungs with air, often before something hard. | |
| proud (adj) | “Pip feels warm and proud.” | Happy because you did something good. |
Type the right word in each gap. You can use the word bank to help.
Fill the gap from memory — no word bank this time. Type the word.
You listened, noticed the words, and used them yourself. Come back any time to listen again — repetition is how the words stick.
